Keyboard of the Year: Corsair K95 RGB Platinum

Big, bold, and beautiful, this is our favorite new keyboard of 2017.

By now, the Corsair K95 RGB Platinum has donned the best high-end gaming keyboard crown for almost the entire year. Expensive as it is, it remains as the weapon of choice for the gamer who needs the best of everything.

First and foremost, the K95 RGB Platinum upholds its reputation with its solid performance. Equipped with the tried and true Cherry MX mechanical switches, the Corsair K95 can keep up with the heaviest of hands and the fastest of fingers. Whether you like the tactile Cherry MX Brown or the speedy Cherry MX Silver, there's a switch for you.

Gear of the Year

Check out the complete list of all of our award winners for 2017. (The list will be updated daily as the winners are announced.)

Complementing the excellent switches is a rich set of features. Aside from the standard dedicated media controls and the aforementioned volume wheel, the Corsair K95 RGB Platinum also comes with a USB passthrough, lighting controls, a spacious wrist rest, and six dedicated macros. The keycaps of the macros keys feature a concave shape to hug your fingers and a textured surface for extra grip. These small details make them more comfortable to use than your run of the mill macro keys.

Corsair has made no attempt at hiding its affinity for metal. The cold luster of the aluminum front plate is in direct contrast to the vibrant RGB backlighting, creating an unusual yet natural complement. The volume wheel is also crafted from aluminum, adding durability to one of the most used features on a keyboard. As an added aesthetics bonus, an RGB LED strip covers the top edge of the chassis, giving the keyboard an even brighter look.

Durable, functional, and visually appealing, there’s little downside to the Corsair K95 RGB Platinum besides its price. At $200, the K95 RGB simply doesn’t fit into a frugal budget. It’s also massive with the wrist rest attached, making it unsuitable for smaller tabletops.